When a Child is Born
by Dana Katherine
Summary: Did you ever wonder what happened in the time lapse between the birth and the arrival in town? This is my take. Please r&r!


Title: "When a Child is Born" fill in

Title: When a Child is Born

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Not mine, I'm just borrowing them for my brief enjoyment. Thanks!

Summary: Did you ever wonder what happened in the time lapse between the birth and the arrival in town? Well, here's my idea.

A/N: Michaela's POV

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He placed our tiny daughter into my arms and the rest of the world just disappeared. All the pain, the fear, anticipation…it all was gone, replaced by a complete euphoria. It was just us and the baby, our little family. He moved to my side and wrapped his arms around me, and I leaned into him and allowed my body to relax. He reached one of his strong fingers up to brush her cheek and she instantly started to root. He chuckled lightly and allowed her to suck on his finger. I undid the top of my dress, and brought my daughter up to nurse for the first time. We watched in awe as her little chin moved quickly to suck up the nourishment. At her sucks, my uterus contracted again and reminded me the birth was not finished. I must have frowned slightly because he focused on me instantly.

"Are you ok? Do you hurt?" I shook my head.

"No. I mean, yes I'm ok. My uterus is contracting to expel the placenta," I informed him in my doctor tone. He looked at me nervously.

"Ok, what do I do?"

"Go get another blanket from the wagon." He got up and limped over to the wagon, grabbing a blanket from under the seat. He hobbled back to me and sat between my feet again. "Ok, I'm going to push and you just let it come. Don't pull on the cord at all; it needs to come out whole." He nodded and I pushed. He looked down for a long time and furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you want me to do with it? Bury it?" I nodded.

"Let me see it first, I need to make sure it all came out." He brought it over to me and turned his head while I examined it. "Ok. It's fine." He covered it up and walked off a few yards, dug a hole and buried it. He came back and sat beside me again and wrapped his arms around me.

Our baby fed for just a few minutes more before slipping into a peaceful sleep. I covered myself up and laid back into Sully's arms. He placed his jacket over the top of our baby and I felt myself slip into the same sleep as my daughter.

When I awoke I was lying on my side with my arm as a pillow. I tried to sit up, but the soreness in my abdomen made me think twice. Then I realized that I didn't have the baby and a brief moment of panic washed over me. But then I saw a scene that touched my heart to its deepest depths. Sully was hunched over our little girl, speaking so softly that I couldn't make out the words. He was gently caressing her, playing with her toes, counting her fingers. I tried to sit up again to get a better look and must have made a noise because he quickly turned around.

"Hey, you're awake. Let me help you." He came over and helped me into a sitting position, and then wiped a tear from my cheek that I didn't know existed. "You ok? Do you hurt real bad?" I shook my head.

"No. I'm ok. I'm just so happy right now." He nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe she's finally here. She's perfect, Michaela. Ten fingers and ten toes." He looked up at me and smiled. "You did so good. You're perfect, too." I laughed and he quieted me with a kiss. We were interrupted, though, by the tiny cries of our daughter. "She's been rootin' again; she might be ready to eat." I nodded.

"She didn't really eat much earlier." He placed her in my arms and I brought her up to feed. Sully watched in awe again for a while, gently stroking the fine blonde hair on the top of her head.

"You need to eat, too, Michaela. I'm going right back here to look for somethin' good. I'll just be a few minutes, ok?" I nodded and he headed off. I took the chance to look her over myself. Sully was right, she was perfect. There were virtually no marks left on her skin by the intense labor. She didn't even have a pointed head or blotchy skin like most newborns. She also had no problem breastfeeding, and seemed to be very alert. I stroked her light hair and felt more tears slip down my cheeks. A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped slightly.

"I'm sorry. Here, I didn't want to go far, and all I found were a few berries." He had them laid on a large piece of bark. I smiled, remembering the last time he had found me berries. It had been when he came and rescued me from the dog soldiers. That all seemed so distant now.

"Thank-you." I placed a couple in my mouth, and I suddenly realized how hungry I truly was. By the time I finished the berries, our daughter had finished her meal. I passed her on to her pa and buttoned myself up. "We should probably head back to town, soon. I'm sure everyone is worried about the three of us." He chuckled.

"Yeah. We can head back now, if you're ready." I nodded. He gathered up our few belongings and loaded them in the wagon, and then he helped me up. The sudden change in position pulled on all of my sore muscles.

"Will you take the baby? I'm kind of stiff." He took the little bundle from my arms and I held onto the tree and tried to stretch my aching body. After a few moments I felt I could walk and we made our way over to the wagon. I gingerly pulled myself up and took a seat. "Should we try to find a way down to the creek and water the horse?"

He shook head, "Already did it, while you were sleeping." I smiled.

"How long was I out?"

"About an hour. Here you go, ma." I smiled and took the baby. He climbed in next to me and looked at our daughter thoughtfully. "You know, she still doesn't have a name." I nodded as we took off.

"I'd still like to name her after your mom."

"Why _my _mom?"

"Well, because if it wasn't for your mom, I wouldn't have you, and therefore we wouldn't have this angel."

"Well if you put it that way, we should name her after your mom." I shook my head.

"There's already an Elizabeth in the immediate family. Maybe as a middle name, but I really like Katherine." He looked at me and laughed.

"Well, how can I say no to you? Can we at least call her Katie?"

"Katie…I like it." He leaned over and put his arm around me and looked in Katie's half-closed eyes.

"Welcome to the world, Katie." He urged the horses to go a little faster, getting us closer to our new life. And I knew in that instant that there was no greater moment in one's life than when a child is born.

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So what did you think? It's my first Dr. Quinn fic. Please review and let me know how I could do better next time! :D


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